A mum has been excused a £440 fine for taking a teenager out of school to attend a wedding 5,000 miles away.
She told a court that she only became aware of the penalty after bailiffs wrote to her new home.
She admitted that the 14-year-old girl missed classes for 11 days in January last year. But she moved house and the truancy prosecution was handled when she knew nothing of it.
She did not attend court but was found guilty and fined £440, which is regarded as the national average weekly wage. There were also £182 council costs and a £44 government surcharge.
She appeared at Nottingham Magistrates' Court and said that she had taken her daughter to a family wedding overseas.
"Then I had a letter from bailiffs. I didn't understand what it was about," she told District Judge Tim Spruce.
He withdrew the £440 fine but ordered her to pay £80 prosecution costs and a £20 government surcharge. They must be paid in a month.
The judge told her: "It is not a case of a parent turning a blind eye to their child not attending school on a regular basis.
"The child was taken out of school for a legitimate reason."
The mother cannot be named to protect the identity of the girl.
